Long meetings hamper those who might serve

Yes, you’ve read this here before, but it’s now past time Poway Unified School District board members figure out how best to reduce the length of their monthly meetings.

Last Tuesday night’s public portion of the meeting started at 6 p.m. and wrapped up at 11:30 p.m. That’s 5 ½ hours, with one brief break. But wait, there’s more. The elected board members began meeting in closed session at 2 p.m. that afternoon. Think about it: 9 ½ hours of meetings for the five board members, plus associated staff members.

By 10:30 p.m. many in the room appeared to be fading badly, including a few members of the public who stuck around. But there was still another hour to go, including some pretty technical discussions relating to the refinancing of Community Facilities District bonds.

We are told the May 31 agenda was long due in part to the monthly meeting being postponed for two weeks. That’s probably true, but this board more often than not meets in public for four to five hours, plus a couple of hours behind closed doors. Yes, board members receive $750 per month, along with school district benefits, and it could be argued that it’s good to see them earn their taxpayer-provided stipends. But as any business school graduate will tell you, any meeting lasting over two (or maybe 3) hours quickly loses its effectiveness.

This situation is not new. Long meetings are part of the school board’s culture. Suggestions on ways the typical meeting could be shortened (i.e., meeting twice a month, finding another venue for student and staff recognitions) have been rejected by district staff as being inefficient or costly.

In November voters will elect two community members to the board. Would a prospective qualified candidate who works a 9-to-5 job be willing to sacrifice the time necessary to serve as school district trustee? Looking over past rosters of board members, very few have held jobs where they were accountable to a boss. Most have been successful retired or semi-retired business owners or professionals who can set their own working hours. That’s a luxury most working people do not have. It’s too bad the current board, and the district’s administration, appear to be locking them out of an opportunity to serve.